Sophie Koch1,2, Sander van den Burg1, Andries Richter2 and Hans-Peter Weikard2
1Wageningen Economic Research, PO Box 29703, 2505 LS, The Hague, Netherlands
2Environmental Economics and Natural Resource Group, Wageningen university, Leeuwenborch (building 201), Hollandsweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands
In recent years, Europe has demonstrated growing interest in seaweed farming. Yet, an open question is whether upscaling will lead to negative impacts that can occur with too much growth and too intense farming. Today in a growing industry, ecological, social, and economic sustainability all need to be considered. With limited space, scarce resources and conflicting industries, policy makers and local governments need to make choices on how to sustainably develop their coasts and industries, while keeping the environment safe and having social acceptance and economic stability. We propose to use the interdisciplinary concept of carrying capacity to define the limits of acceptable change and to support the sustainable and inclusive growth of the seaweed sector, looking at ecological, social and economic aspects.
To determine the carrying capacity of a specific activity, for example farming in a certain area, theoretical limits need to be elaborated, supported by quantifiable indicators and parameters. Then data will be collected which describe the current status of an ecosystem, production and societal opinion of this activity. Besides models to map the quantitative data, also ambiguities and changes in opinions and discussions of trade-offs can find their place. Based on this data, implications for the maximum possible size (extent of upscaling) of a farm can be derived which still keeps the ecosystem and society safe and sustainable.